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Police evict protesters from former state TV building

Greek riot police stormed the offices of former state television ERT on Thursday, forcing out dozens of people who have occupied the building since June in protest against the government’s sudden decision to shut down the station.

Greek riot police stormed into the building of former state television ERT on Thursday and evicted dozens of protesters occupying it since June when the government abruptly shut the state broadcaster, police officials said.

Scuffles broke out between some of the protesters and riot police, who had cordoned off the area and blocked the entrance to the building. Police fired small rounds of teargas to disperse some of the protesters and detained two former workers and two unionists for resisting authorities, the officials said.

Crowds of supporters started rallying outside the main ERT building in the northern suburb of Agia Paraskevi.

The government’s sudden decision to switch off the signal of ERT TV in June and fire its 2,600 state workers to please visiting EU and IMF inspectors shocked many in Greece and cost Prime Minister Antonis Samaras a coalition partner.

Hundreds of those who found themselves without a job defied government and management orders to leave the building. Since then, they have been broadcasting a bootleg news channel over the Internet, while the government launched a new television channel called Public TV or DT.

“The battle for democracy and social justice which ERT workers have been fighting for more than four months, has reached its most crucial moment,” read a message on ERT’s Facebook page calling for people to protest in solidarity. “It’s time to act, rally now!”